Big Ten

If you are looking for this year’s young rising star with a shot to win the Heisman Trophy, look no further than Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett. The freshman starting quarterback has stepped into a tough spot and has grown and matured along the way with terrific results.

College football’s regular season is coming down the final stretch, which means it is crunch time in the conference and division championship races. Not every team is playing for a spot in the College Football Playoff, but everybody seems to have some impact on the new postseason format.

This week, Melvin Gordon leads the Wisconsin running game against another Heisman candidate and his ground game, Nebraska and Ameer Abdullah. The running back showcase should double as this week’s Heisman Trophy Spotlight Game.

Minnesota’s Taylor Cammarata and Adam Wilcox have won Big Ten honors for their performances in the Gophers’ hockey sweep over Notre Dame. Cammarata was named Big Ten First Star of the Week for leading all NCAA players with 5 points over the weekend — despite not taking a shot on goal.

Our expectations before the start of the season can quickly be tarnished in a flash. But no matter what happens, November will always find a way to set the stage for a championship race like no other month can.

Resiliency will be as important for Minnesota the rest of the season as its most tangible strength of running the ball well. Last week’s win over Purdue provided plenty of time to polish both of those attributes.

David Cobb rushed for 194 yards and a touchdown and Ryan Santoso kicked a 52-yard field goal with 4:59 left to cap Minnesota’s comeback on Saturday, giving the Gophers a 39-38 victory over Purdue and their first 3-0 start in Big Ten play since 1990. Cedric Thompson had two interceptions for Minnesota (6-1, 3-0).

October is the best month for college football, and it is getting started on the right foot this weekend. The first weekend in October will serve up six games between top 25 teams, which will be a nice breath of fresh air after the last few weeks.

Mark Zengerle’s rebound goal in overtime lifted Wisconsin to a 5-4 victory over Ohio State on Saturday night in the inaugural Big Ten hockey championship game, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Zengerle and Nic Kerdiles each had two assists, and the Badgers (24-10-2) won for the 10th time in 12 games. This one required a serious rally as Wisconsin trailed 4-2 with 6:52 remaining in regulation after Tanner Fritz scored for the Buckeyes.

Minnesota has the sixth seed for the Big Ten women’s basketball tournament, and the Gophers will bring two of the conference’s biggest stars to the event. The Gophers finished 8-8 in Big Ten play and 19-11 overall. They’ll play 11th seed Wisconsin in Indianapolis in the opening round Thursday night.

Nik Stauskas scored 21 points and Glenn Robinson III provided an emotional lift with his dunks as No. 16 Michigan clinched at least a share of the Big Ten title with a 66-56 victory over Minnesota on Saturday night.

Sam Thompson scored 16 of his 19 points in the second half, leading No. 24 Ohio State back from a 12-point deficit to a 64-46 victory over Minnesota on Saturday night. The Buckeyes outscored the Golden Gophers 46-18 in the second half. Lenzelle Smith Jr. added 13 points and Shannon Scott 10 for the Buckeyes (22-6, 9-6 Big Ten), who trailed by 10 at the half and by 12 early in the second half before taking control with a 17-0 run.

Minnesota has given football coach Jerry Kill a raise and another year on his contract. The university announced Saturday that Kill’s deal was extended through the 2018 season and that he’ll make $2.1 million in 2014, a big spike from his previous salary of $1.2 million. That was the lowest in the Big Ten. Athletic director Norwood Teague had promised for months the contract would be restructured.